Good morning.
The latest data out of Europe shows a slight, 0.1 percent decline for the 20-country region’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2023. The country also saw a 0.1 percent decline in the last quarter of 2022. While small, this fits the definition of a recession.
Can the U.S. escape the same fate? Let’s not be quick to forget that the U.S. had two back-to-back declines in the first half of 2022, which also hit the technical definition of a recession. So while we’re seeing a slowdown today, the drop inflation that’s finally underway may make any decline look better than expected.
Traders should still try to avoid being complacent right now. While there’s no big issue troubling the markets at present, it’s clear with a slowing economy that there could be an unpleasant surprise of any sort that may surprise to the downside in the months ahead.
Now here’s the rest of the news:
JPMorgan And Citigroup Follow In SVB’s Footsteps
Silicon Valley Bank was not even on the “Problem Bank List” maintained by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) when it imploded in a span of 48 hours in March. Depositors had yanked $42 billion of their deposits from the bank on March 9 and had… [Read Here]
June 09, 2022
Good morning.
Traders like opportunities in seasonal trends. They provide a high-probability event, which can turn even a low return into a high one with a well-timed trade. One example is a year-end rally in the stock market (a trend which was bucked last year).
Now, analysts at Goldman Sachs (GS) are predicting that July or August will see the return of a negative trend: Congestion in West Coast ports. Ongoing port congestion has been simply one part of the supply chain crisis. But given the number of goods going through such ports, and last year’s issues with a record number of tankers waiting offshore, it’s a trend that could be bearish for the market going into the fall.
It’s also a sign that traders should remain cautious on stocks until we have a much clearer view on items such as inflation and the job market.
Now here’s the rest of the news:
Goldman Sachs Issues Shocking Oil Price Target
Earlier today we reported that the biggest oil bears among the big banks, Citi and Barclays, just capitulated on their downbeat forecasts – having seen crude steamroll any and every downside catalyst thrown at it and hitting 3 month highs… [Read Here]
The American Housing Market Hasn’t Done This In 16 Years
Black Knight’s Mortgage Monitor sheds more light on how much the Fed exacerbated the housing bubble with its unjustifiable QE program. Housing provides a “feel good” wealth effect, just like the stock market. But the stock market… [Read Here]
June 09, 2021
Good morning.
At the start of the year, traders were worried about Treasury yields. As the 10-year hit the 1.5 percent mark, stocks started to sell off, and still looked shaky as yields trended even higher. Now, Treasury yields are at 3 month lows. That suggests that the stock market can head higher, as it indicates that traders don’t expect any pressure that may cause a large market selloff.
Of course, since then, the narrative driving the latest market fear has also changed from Treasury yields to signs of inflation, as well as fears of possible changes in tax rates. Give it 3 months, and the market fear will be driven by some other event. It just goes to show that today’s fears tend to end up overstating a problem… and those fears tend to get rapidly replaced with something else.
Now here’s the rest of the news:
You’ll Never Believe the Tax Rates Billionaires Actually Pay –Paul Kiel, Jeff Ernsthausen and Jesse Eisinger, ProPublica
IRS documents revealed the richest 25 Americans pay a tiny fraction of their wealth in taxes. Even if you use income to compare, billionaires still pay very low rates… [Read Here]
Gold currently at $1,893.74, silver at $27.70
June 09, 2020
Good morning.
What a day, week and months! Who would have ever though that we would hit a new all-time high on any index as the National Bureau of Economic Research announces a recession that began in February? They clearly pointed to issues presented by the outbreak of COVID-19, but investors seem content to bid prices higher on stimulus and the hopes of a V-shaped recovery. I hope that they’re right, but I’m not holding my breath.
Now here’s the rest nf the news:
Why High Inflation May Be Coming
(by Stephen Leeb)
For those of you who have read Stephen’s work over the years, you know that I am a believer that commodities are destined for long-term scarcities and much higher prices. I believe that gold will outperform other assets, as it has since flipped to 2000. The emergence of China and the rest of the development world plays a big part in the equation.
The COVID-19 pandemic has sapped growth around the world, but has it changed my expectations?
No, quite the opposite.
Acceleration of Scarcity
In the end, the pandemic will likely accelerate the timeline for commodity scarcities. At the same time, it has strengthened China’s relative position and its ability to achieve its goals, including a gold-backed monetary system, with the West less able to push back. Both these developments are highly bullish for gold.
The pandemic has drastically cut into growth. But that’s for now. Growth is going to pick up again, both in the East (where its already starting) and in the West, which virus or no virus can’t afford to slip ever further behind.
The resumption of growth means the current sharp slowdown in demand for commodities is hoit term. But for supplies it’s a different story. Revving up global commodity production will take a lot longer. In fact, production may never return to former levels. That demand/supply imbalance is one reason to expect commodity prices to rise. Another is China’s resilience in the face of the pandemic.
The East Left in Better Shape
lt doesn’t really matter what explains the huge differential. The reasons could include that the East was better prepared; had a greater familiarity with dealing with lethal coronaviruses; has healthier behaviors and climate factors; or dealt with a less deadly virus strain. What matters is the result.
The East has been left better positioned to gear up growth more quickly and more assuredly. And that’s huge, because the emerging economies of the East, with their far lower per-capita incomes, are trying to catch up. This effort will require massive amounts of commodities of all kinds.
June 09, 2019
Email is dead.
At least, that’s what the marketing pundits and freshly minted “gurus” would have you believe.
But when you take a closer look at the data (and at the businesses who do email correctly), you quickly realize nothing could be further from the truth.
Email is still alive and well in 2019. < Click the link to view the full article, by Austin Gills.
In fact, email is one of the best marketing channels available to the modern entrepreneur and is a crucial component required to scale to 7-figures+.
In today’s article, Austin is going to show not only why email marketing should become a cornerstone of your digital strategy, but, more importantly, how you can use it effectively to grow your business and increase your profits.
Specifically, you’ll learn:
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- The average ROI of email marketing vs. social media marketing (this will blow you away).
- The top three reasons people like client Joel Marion (who runs a 9-figure company) rely on email and NOT social media.
- How to build your list from scratch even if you have a small budget and no website.
- The five simple tactics that allowed US to increase our email revenue by nearly 4X in only a few weeks.
And so much more.
June 09, 2017
This is more about asking meaningful open-ended questions.
The more prospects talk about their problems, the more they sell themselves. So instead of asking questions that can be answered by a “yes” or “no” … construct questions that have purpose … where our prospects tell us a story because they want us to know more. Some examples might be:
- “What kind of skin care product(s) did you use before? What results were you expecting? Did you receive some real value? Why do you say that?“
- “What have your traveling experience been like? When and where were you last? Do you find traveling fun … or expensive? Where would you like to travel to now? If not now, when?”
- “How do you sleep? How do you feel in the morning? Are you ‘feeling’ alive … or groggy? Is your energy fully charged? What about mobility … your flexibility? Any stiffness or soreness? Does it go away quickly? What do you do?”
- “When you are hungry … low on energy, what do you do?”
- “What are you doing now to prevent wrinkles? Do you like the sun or do you prefer the shade? Would you please tell me more?”
- “What are ‘some’ of the things you have to do for the family before you go to work? How is that? WOW! Do it get it done with much time to spare?”
- “When the monthly bills are greater than the paycheck, how do you handle that? Sometimes, I reach for my credit-card for help … how about you? How do you find that challenging?”
We are looking for conversation … we are looking for ways in which we can be of service. Be a friend first, second, and third … always.
[I had a great start to my day! I was able to clear my backlog of emails and to post my 3 most important daily-posts early.]REW
